Living Proof

Our security system. We all want to feel safe. We all want that sense of security with whoever and wherever we are. Maybe it's based on our survival instincts or maybe it's due to each person's own experience and anxieties. Maybe all of the above. Who knows. I just remember when I was a little girl living with my parents and three older sisters - there wasn't anything that could've harmed us. Dad was always the strong and mighty one - nobody could move past him. If there was a noise outside, he'd come out like a big redneck holding his rifle shouting, "Whoz' out dare'?!?!" Whatever and whomever it was, fled real quick. We never worried about intruders or if we were ever going to get hurt at home in general. A sense - a feeling - a contentment that just was imbedded in us. We've seen "outsiders" fall ill and some pass away. But not our family. We were strong and nothing could get us…nothing. Safety is all a facade. And ev...

Sometimes it's strange when you look back at your life from just a few years ago to a decade or even twenty plus years ago. It rolls out like a movie. You see all the characters who came in and out of your life, and you also see the characters who still remain in your life. From friends, lovers, and even family members who drift in and out of your 'movie'. It plays out with no explanation. Sometimes, when it has a good enough explanation, I always question every single action that led to the break in the relationship. Whether it be the lack of communication, or perhaps too much 'negative' communication, the fact is, it severed the ties. "A reason, a season, a lifetime," comes to mind and I have to wonder which one fits with each person. Do you ever think back to a time when you were sitting with someone you love(d) and thought the relationship would never end? I think many people take their relationships for granted, thinking that same concept, until...

"Sit!" "Stay!" "Stop!" "Get off of there!" "Stop biting!" "No!" "Down!!!" This is all you would hear as I was walking Lola this morning. It's like all the trees magically turned into different colors. Bright red, orange and yellow leaves were all scattered on the lawn. If the wind picked up a leaf into flight, Lola would run after it as if it were a squirrel. The air was crisp, the sky had a dark gray tone to it with sunbeams darting through different directions. October 1rst... October is our favorite time of the year. My dad's favorite time of the year as well. As I walked further down the lawn with Lola, yelling out, "Don't eat that" and "Stop barking at the cat", I felt like I was being watched - even worse off, being laughed at. I had an overwhelming sense that Dad was nearby, chuckling over my frustrations with "that damn dog" as he would jokingly call her. A coupl...